Trump to issue executive order to bring down diesel prices amid grim midterm polls

President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order aimed at easing diesel costs, Politico reports, citing three people familiar with the plan. The move comes as Democratic candidates gain in polls, and fuel prices have become a problem for farmers and ranchers. Trump is slated to describe the plan Monday at the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island, alongside Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts, who is being challenged by independent Dan Osborn, according to The Independent.

According to Politico, officials would be told to stop enforcing federal rules on red-dyed, tax-exempt diesel used in farming and construction. States would be urged to make that fuel easier to obtain, and the Treasury Department would be directed to examine federal diesel taxes. AAA put the national average at $6. 32 a gallon Monday, below the September 22 record of $6. 53.

Experts were skeptical. GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan said wider dyed-diesel access might save some drivers roughly 60 cents a gallon, yet argued that supply, not taxes, is the real issue, with the war against Iran and attacks on Russian refineries restricting global availability. Shuting Pomerleau of the American Action Forum said no effective quick fix exists.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Independent’s reporting. Read the full story at The Independent →